The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to 250 high school seniors each year. Fifty of these are four-year $20,000 scholarships ($5,000 per year for four years), while 200 are designated as four-year $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 per year for four years). The scholarships must be used at an accredited U.S. college or university.

a CURRENT high school or home-school senior anticipating graduation from a school or program in the United States during the academic year in which application is made a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, U.S. Permanent Resident, Temporary Resident (legalization program), Refugee, Asylee, Cuban-Haitian Entrant or Humanitarian Parolee

planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution

The deadline to apply is October 31st but we always recommend applying as early as possible. For more information about this award, conduct a free scholarship search today. Best of luck!

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Here at Scholarships.com, we stress the importance of paying for your college education the best way we know how: with free money in the form of scholarships! And while scholarships might not fully cover your tuition and expenses, college applicants who aren't deemed financially needy in terms of their FAFSA should consider the importance of merit aid. It can make a huge difference in the schools they can realistically afford and students and families seeking this extra financial aid boost should consider researching schools more likely to dispense merit-based awards.

But with so many colleges and universities across the country, which ones are the best financial bets? Help has arrived in the form of U.S. News & World Report, which has compiled a list of the schools that awarded the highest percentage of merit-based funding to non-needy students during the 2013-14 academic year. (The stats do not include financially needy students who were given merit aid or students who received athletic scholarships or other tuition breaks.) Take a look:

High school students, does this data have you looking at these schools in a new light? Current college students attending one of the schools listed above, did merit aid make the difference as to whether or not you enrolled? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And as always, don’t forget to create a free Scholarships.com profile to get a personalized list of scholarship opportunities!

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

College Prowler is Accepting Entries Through September 30th

Winning money for college is great but doing so without having to meet astronomical word counts and double-digit page requirements is even better. Lucky for you, the folks at College Prowler couldn't agree more and have launched the $2,000 No Essay Scholarship.

The scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on their Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. To apply, please visit College Prowler or complete a free scholarship search to find additional opportunities.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Grenade Launcher? Check. M-16s? Check. Armored Vehicles? Check. No, this isn’t an artillery checklist for a high-ranking general but rather the stockpile that could be located on a college campus near you.

According to reports, at least 117 colleges have acquired equipment from the Department of Defense through a federal program that transfers military surplus to law enforcement agencies across the country. Through the 1033 program, participating colleges don’t have to buy the equipment but are responsible for the cost of delivery and maintenance. They are prohibited from reselling or leasing the gear and are required to provide updates on the location of tactical gear, like armored vehicles and weaponry. To date, at least 60 institutions have acquired M-16s through the program: Arizona State University has the most with 70 in its arsenal, followed by Florida International University and the University of Maryland with 50 M-16s each. (The University of Central Florida received a grenade launcher in 2008.) “What was once the unthinkable has become the inevitable,” said UCF’s chief of police Richard Beary. “These bad guys have plans and are heavily armed, and law enforcement needs to be able to keep up with them. In order to do that, police officers need to be highly trained, well equipped, and ready to respond to any scenario.” (For more on this story, click here.)

Participants in the program argue that it provides departments – particularly those with limited budgets like campus police forces – with necessary gear at very little cost. Meanwhile, detractors contend that the procurement of tactical gear doesn’t help with the types of crimes that occur more frequently on college campus, like alcohol-related incidents and sexual assault. What are your thoughts on having military-grade artillery on campus? Let us know in the comments section.

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

U.S. News and World Report Releases Annual List

High school seniors, do you know where you want to spend the next four years? Sure, it may be just the start of the academic year and you're nowhere near crunch time when it comes to making that decision, but get a head start by checking out some of the top schools in the United States!

Every year, U.S. News and World Report puts together a list of the best undergraduate institutions in the country, focusing on areas that matter most to students such as graduation rates, selectivity and freshman retention, among other items. Check out the top 10 schools below and for more on their methodology, click here:

Are college rankings a bigger deal to students or colleges? Did you or do you plan to use college rankings as you make your college choices or do you think other factors are more important to consider? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don’t forget to try and fund your college education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

New Winner Selected Every Month!

Looking for a way to pay for your college education that includes free money? Well, you’re in luck! Here at Scholarships.com, we provide users with the most relevant scholarships and educational information out there.

By registering at Scholarships.com, you’ll have access to more than 2.7 million local, state and national college scholarships and grants worth $1.9 billion...and did we mention that you’ll be eligible to win $500 automatically just for registering? That’s right: Filling out a complete profile will enter you into our monthly drawing for $500. No lengthy essay or massive application packet required – it doesn't get any easier than that. Complete your profile, get entered to win $500 and start exploring additional scholarship options today!

For more information and official rules, please click here. For more information on finding money for college and how to properly fund your college education, check out Scholarships.com Financial Aid section and conduct a free scholarship search today!

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

The incident comes just two months after a bill was signed by Governor Butch Otter (R) allowing those with concealed carry permits to carry guns on state and college campuses. The bill – which made Idaho the seventh state to allow concealed guns on campuses – prohibits guns in dorms, arenas, stadiums or theaters. And while it is still unclear what cause the firearm to discharge, Lt. Paul Manning of the Pocatello Police Department told the Daily Beast the unnamed professor’s handgun was in the professor’s pants pocket and was not visible during class. The professor (who possesses an enhanced concealed carry permit) was treated for non-life threatening injuries and an investigation is currently underway to determine if he will be charged with a misdemeanor for discharging a firearm within city limits. “When they passed this law, it was bound to happen," ISU President Arthur Vailas told the Idaho State Journal; an opponent of the bill, he described the incident as "scary and embarrassing.” (For more on this story, click here.)

What are your thoughts on having concealed weapons on campus? Do you agree with gun advocates and the stance that more firearms would increase campus safety or do you think it would do the exact opposite? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

With September officially upon us, millions of students across the country are heading back to college. With all the fun and excitement that goes into the fall semester, however, some may not have ironed out one major detail: how they're going to pay for it. For most college students – even those with impressive financial aid packages – loans are a necessary piece in their financial aid puzzle. And with college graduation and loan repayments coming up faster than you think, it's important to understand the warning signs that you may be headed toward defaulting on your student loans. Check out U.S. News and World Report's four warnings to heed below:

You don’t know when your first payment is due: If you borrowed student loans, you are responsible for knowing when your payments begin, how much they are and where to send them...even if you don’t receive any notices with these details.

You dropped some classes or dropped out of school: One common reason why some borrowers don’t know when their first payment is due is that they didn’t realize their repayment grace period was already winding down. For federal student loans, the grace period kicks in when students drop below half-time enrollment. Keep in mind that half-time enrollment is defined differently from school to school. And if you've left school altogether, you are still required to repay any loans you borrowed.

You can’t afford your payments: The student loan grace period gives borrowers some time to figure things out before repayment begins...but you may still be looking for work or barely able to cover your living expenses (let alone expensive loan payments) after that period expires. If you borrowed federal student loans, you may be able to select a payment plan that decreases the amount you pay each month, perhaps based on how much money you make.

You think you already defaulted: Borrowers often confuse delinquency and default. If you miss a few payments, your loan is likely delinquent and you can still do things to avoid the consequences. If you have defaulted, don’t give up! You can pull your loan into good standing by paying it in full, consolidating it or through rehabilitation.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

MIT researcher and admissions officer Chris Peterson, along with his co-instructor and the head of MIT Comparative Media Studies/Writing Ed Schiappa, built the course's curriculum in part with help from other Reddit users. (The post received 121 comments from users eager to contribute to the class material.) The class invites students to explore why the site works and compare it to other social media networks. According to Motherboard, Peterson explained the importance of Reddit to MIT faculty during his efforts to create the course. "Nobody disputes that something's important if it's on the front page of the New York Times," he said. "If something is on the front page of Reddit, now it matters. It tells you something about that community and what they find important." (For more on this story, click here.)

While classes rooted in popular culture are not new phenomena, what's your stance on the educational value of offering such courses? Do you think colleges are pandering to students' wants verses needs? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don't forget to fund your own college education the right way – free! Create a profile on Scholarships.com today to find financial aid that's personalized to you!

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Ah, the first day of school. You meticulously selected your outfit, you styled your hair just right but when you smiled for the camera, all that awesomeness translated into...complete and total awkwardness. It may be tempting to dispose of the evidence but don’t burn those negatives or delete those jpegs just yet: Those images could earn you $1,000 for college through Scholarships.com’s Awkward Back-to-School Photo Contest!

To enter Scholarships.com’s Awkward Back-to-School Photo Contest, simply “like” Scholarships.com on Facebook and upload your amateur, school-related photo (first day, class, prom, graduation, etc.) to Scholarships.com’s Facebook wall, making sure to tag yourself and Scholarships.com in the image. Following the September 30th deadline, the Scholarships.com Team will post our top finalists and users will have one week to vote for their favorite photo via comments and likes. The person who submits the photo receiving the most votes will win $1,000 and the individuals who submit the second and third highest-scoring images will receive $200 each.

Starts: August 26th

Ends: September 30th

Number of Awards: 3

Amount: $1,000 for one first-place winner; $200 each for second- and third-place winners.

Step 2: Post your school-related to Scholarships.com’s Facebook wall, making sure to tag yourself and Scholarships.com in the image. These photos must be amateur (i.e., not professionally taken), can be current or from years past and must feature the person submitting the photo.

Step 3: The Scholarships.com Team will select the top images submitted and let our fans choose a winner via their comments and likes.

Step 4: You may enter as many times as you want but please limit your photos to one per day. Those who do not observe this step or who do not tag themselves and Scholarships.com in their photos will be disqualified. You must also adjust your Facebook privacy preferences to allow Scholarships.com to message you. (This is how we'll notify finalists and winners.)

This scholarship competition is offered by Scholarships.com and is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

For more information and official rules, please click here and for additional scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!

And remember, there’s no need to rely on expensive student loan options to pay for your college education. For more information on finding free scholarship money for college, conduct a Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today, then apply and win! It’s that easy!